Cabaret Confluences #2 explores artistic and cultural diversity through dance, stand-up comedy, music, poetry and performance.
The evening brings together bilingual multidisciplinary artists: Janelle Hacault, a contemporary dancer and choreographer of Filipinx/Franco-Canadian heritage; cache cache (poetry, literature, and ambient electronic music); Ran Wang and Xuan Lucie Liu (a Chinese music duo); Rinre, a young Japanese dancer based in Montreal; and Dona-Bella Kassab serving as master of ceremonies.
Doors opening at 7PM. Show at 8PM.
Kapwa is part dance, part storytelling, part standup comedy. Or it may be all of those things completely. It weaves through personal experiences and childhood memories that centre around (mistaken) identity, belonging, and what it means for Janelle Hacault to be brown.
Kapwa is a core value of Filipino psychology. It is, “a recognition of a shared identity, an inner self, shared with others … such inclusiveness is the moral obligation to treat one another as equal fellow human beings.” – Professor Virgilio Enriquez, founder of Sikolohiyang Pilipino.
Ran Wang and Xuan Lucie Liu present a series of performances combining solo guzheng, yangqin and improvisation. Each encounter explores the dialogue between sound, movement, and space, blending traditional Chinese techniques with contemporary languages.
Through these open improvisations, they seek to reveal the emotional and physical resonances of their musical instruments within intercultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
cache cache, a trio blending poetry with music, immersing the audience in the artists’ memories:
Nous avançons comme on compose un morceau à plusieurs (We move forward the way you compose a piece together)
en testant, en changeant d’instruments (testing, switching instruments)
en cherchant ce qui sonne juste (searching for what rings true)
Nos émotions ne suivent pas une ligne droite (Our emotions don’t follow a straight line)
elles bifurquent, hésitent, reviennent autrement (they veer, hesitate, return differently)
on ne cherche pas à les expliquer (we’re not trying to explain them)
juste à leur laisser de la place (only to give them space)
Nos mots glissent selon les sons qui se présentent (Our words slide along the sounds that appear)
parfois ça rate, parfois ça respire (sometimes they miss, sometimes they breathe)
et c’est là que quelque chose s’ouvre (and it’s there that something opens)
This piece explores the space between who Rinre was in Japan and who she is now in Canada. It reflects the time it took her to allow herself to stand in front of others without needing to be perfect. Rather than a story of transformation, it is a choice to exist as she is.
cache cache is three voices: peach, an archivist, and the side — who met while chasing the pieces of themselves they hadn’t yet found. Arnab, Corinne and Dédé play at cache-cache (hide and seek), while emptying and reloading the cache memory. Together, they preserve, remix, and rewrite what keeps slipping away.
A performing artist, Dona-Bella possesses a powerful and unique stage presence. Performer, actress, dancer, playwright, director, writer—versatility is essential in her practice of interdisciplinary arts. In addition, the artist is exploring punking/whacking, butoh, cabaret-jazz, circus, physical theater, masks, and buffoonery. Their creations have been presented at various festivals, including Jamais Lu, Entractes, Mossy Fae, Festiqueer, and Post-Furies. Known for their raw authenticity, effervescent creativity, and grand ambitions, their themes revolve around shame and storytelling.
Among their collaborations: Tout Feu Tout Femme, Baobab, Code Universel, Temps public, Teesri Dunya, Montréal Arts Interculturels, as well as with artists such as Chanel Cheiban, Marie-Ève Milot, Mireille Tawfik, Nicolas Cantin, Penelope Gromko, and Brie-Ana Laboucane. Their guiding principle: spaces that promote human and artistic integrity. Iel performs in interpretation, but also in punking/whacking, cabaret-jazz, butoh, acrobatics, and contemporary dance.
Among their creations are SOS Belle Femme (2020), Sous le Voile de la Bienséance (2021), Rage et Amour (2023), and Songe d’un jour d’hiver (2024), recently performed at the Entractes Festival in Montreal.
Ran Wang is a Chinese musician and sound artist based in Montreal. A guzheng specialist for over twenty years, she explores the boundaries between traditional music and contemporary creation. Trained at the Sichuan Conservatory and holding a master’s degree in Arts and Technology from the Université de Montréal, she develops an interdisciplinary practice that combines improvisation, sound art, and performance.
Her work questions cultural memory, gesture, and sound, while seeking new dialogues between the guzheng, electronics, and world music. A recipient of the Global Musician Workshop award from the Silkroad Project, she continues to pursue research on hybrid forms of collaboration and intercultural listening.
Originally from Kyoto, Japan, Rinre is a versatile dancer specializing in Waacking, with experience in Hip-Hop, House, Popping, Locking, Jazz, Theater Jazz, Heels, and Ballet. She trained at Myster Dance Studio from 2010 to 2019 and completed the Commercial Track Dance Certificate Program at Peridance Center in New York from 2019 to 2021. Rinre has won and placed highly in numerous dance battles across New York, Montreal, Taipei, Kobe, and other cities. Her performance experience spans stage shows, festivals, and events, showcasing expressive and dynamic artistry. In July 2025, she visited Montreal for the first time, embracing new inspiration and expanding her dance journey internationally.
Janelle Hacault is a Filipinx/French Canadian professional contemporary dance artist, choreographer, teacher, trained singer and actor, and embodiment coach based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal QC. She is a graduate of the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg and holds a BA Honours degree from the University of Winnipeg.
Some noteable performances include onstage in Annie: la comédie musicale (Just for Laughs) and Rhapsodie (Sylvain Émard Danse/DanseDanse), on film (Virginie Brunelle, Angèle Dubeau, Céline Dion, Trip the Light Fantastic), and on television (Chanteurs Masqués, Révolution season 3). She has worked in circus with Les 7 Doigts de la Main with director, Gypsy Snider and was principal female dancer for the inaugural cast of Ships in the Night and in works by Tony award-winning director, Sam Pinkleton and choreographer, Ani Taj onboard Virgin Voyages.
Janelle has recently been writing and performing standup comedy through Montréal’s “Joke Club” performing at The Comedy Nest and co-producing shows at the Tequila Bar. Her new solo work, “Kapwa” has been presented in Winnipeg and Montréal, soon to be performed in Brighton UK in July 2026.
Xuan Liu, a yangqin performer based in Montreal, stands out for her virtuosity and her commitment to promoting Chinese music. Founder of the Hua Yin Chinese Ensemble, she combines sensitive performance with artistic direction to showcase this heritage across North America to audiences both local and international.
Comedy
Dance
Interdisciplinary Art
Music
Performance Art
Poetry
Theatre